


Hardened Fragility

by SilverStarStrike



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: Father/Daughter, Gen, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Other, Parent/Child, Siblings, Sister-Sister Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-23 01:24:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12495308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverStarStrike/pseuds/SilverStarStrike
Summary: Kioo, a thief in the fallen City of Tears, finds herself curious about a bug she used to know...





	Hardened Fragility

**Author's Note:**

> I also want to thank Brackets_002 and Sarcul (from Deviantart) for beta-reading and proofreading this work. It's a pleasure working with you two.

The air was eerily still on the stage, save for the hiss of the outside rain. The brisk flapping of glassy wings interrupted pitters of the droplets. Then along came an audible huff before coughing. The winged bug half-limped towards a single cushioned chair, folding her aching wings on the way. She slung off her belt and tossed it onto the floor. The satchel attached to it nearly spilt out its contents, and the dagger clanged against the floor.

 

She examined the wound. Damn that Belfly! It would have inflicted a fatal blow if she hadn't been careful. She leaned back onto the chair, wincing as the burn worsened. At least she managed to grab another rancid egg. She sniffed at the lingering scent. Disgusting though its scent was, but it was all she could scavenge before retreating.

 

The winged scavenger craned her sleek neck to look at the empty stage. As usual, the feeling of nostalgia washed over her. It seemingly cleansed the pain.

 

_“Ma! Look! Pretty butterfly lady!”_

 

_“Yes, yes. Sit down, Kioo. You’re making a ruckus.”_

 

_“Look! Look! She’s gonna sing!”_

 

_“Sssh!”_

 

_“I wanna sing with her one day!”_

 

“One day.” Kioo muttered under her breath. She shook her head solemnly. “That day didn’t come at all, right?” She spoke towards the empty space on the stage, “What happened to you? Did you run away? Were your eyes-” She caught herself. She groaned as she rubbed her forehead with her fingers, suppressing a headache. What was she doing...

 

She fought against the burn when she heaved herself up. She held the injury on one hand, and her belt in the other. With a wince she flew away from the stage and then upward. The sound of gentle water warmly welcomed her. The soft glow of the white water illuminated the silent dark corners of the room. She removed her short dirty purple cloak and set it down at the edge of the pool.

 

Kioo knelt down in the shallow pool. She shivered a little at its warmth, not quite used to feeling it, as she usually would feel the wet, cold rain on her own shell. She cupped her hands, scooped up some water, and washed it over the burn. She bit back a pained yelp, then sighed in relief. The water almost instantly healed her wound.

 

...She sat there, staring rather blankly at the glow. It reminded her of dreams. Dreams she used to have, dreams she wanted to achieve. To whom could she sing? Certainly not the infected, and the small “family” of fellow thieves did not care enough to stay...

 

With a gruff huff, she took her velvet cloak and cleansed as much as she could. She made sure she handled it with care, just like carefully pickpocketing some sad and fat noble. What if she didn’t have hands? Hands that could grasp, snatch, and hold.

 

Kioo thought back to the diary she had found in her mentor’s room. It had stood out like a sore thumb amongst the other books and stone journals he had collected. Being a diplomat, he had enjoyed learning about the other languages of bugs. In the midst of a rush she had grabbed it and ran. At least she would have some memory of a good bug she knew...  

 

She looked at her satchel, and noticed the journal. It slightly stuck out from the opening. It seemed to greet, beckon, then beg. Kioo was tempted. It reminded her of the shiny silver chests, filled to the brim with Geo. However, like a silver chest it could also be heavily guarded. She had stared at it once with curiosity; now she did so with reluctance.

 

The bug who had wrote in the journal had never really paid attention to her, but she knew he had a fondness for her. She trusted her thoughts. Maybe he wrote about her, and how great of a student she was!

 

Kioo reached over and carefully extracted the journal. “At least it’s still intact...” She gently brushed off the excess water, careful not to damage it further. She ran a hand down the damp cover. “Who were you, really?”

 

She opened the book.

 

_“She came back. The one mantis I had never hoped to see again. She held the egg, and told me something I had wished I would never have to know...”_


End file.
